


Paying A Visit

by Aeshna_cyanea



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Badass Maze, F/M, Feelings, Infernal Rumors, Light Angst, Maze being Maze
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-26 01:28:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16209809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeshna_cyanea/pseuds/Aeshna_cyanea
Summary: Lucifer took Maze back to Hell when she asked him to at the end of episode 3.19, but he misses her. He decides to go visit her in Hell, but the welcome he gets is not what he expected.





	Paying A Visit

"Hey."  
  
Maze looked up from the knife she was sharpening and stared suspiciously at the figure who had just entered her living room. She was going to have words with the guards about this later.  
  
Lucifer was smiling engagingly, but beneath the charming facade she was pleased to detect a certain measure of wariness. His eyes briefly flickered to the weapon in her hand, before focusing on her face once more. She set aside the whetstone, but demonstratively did not put down the blade.  
  
"What do you want, Lucifer?" She stared coldly at him, and made no move to invite him further into the room or offer him a seat in the empty armchair next to hers.  
  
"I wanted to see you, Maze."  
  
"Mission accomplished, then. Here I am. Now go away." She turned her attention back to her knife, testing the sharpness of its blade before putting it down on the table before her and picking up the next one.  
  
"Mazikeen... "  
  
Maze could hear the pout in his voice. She didn't care. He had no right to waltz back into her life, a life she had painstakingly rebuilt for herself, and demand anything of her.  
  
"Just get it over with, Lucifer. Say what you want me to do for you this time. Then I can refuse to do it, and you can go away and sulk, and I can get back to enjoying my life without you."  
  
He sighed, annoyed. "I really just want to see you."  
  
"And you've seen me. Now leave me alone."  
  
"Mazikeen please." He sighed again. "I missed you. Is that so hard to believe?"  
  
"Yes." She felt a momentary satisfaction when her prompt answer made him flinch. “You never cared to spend any time with me back in LA before I chose to leave, you couldn’t get out of here fast enough when you dropped me off, and now after years you suddenly miss me? No way.”  
  
He frowned in confusion. “What do you mean, years? It’s only been a week since I brought you back here… Oh.”  
  
Maze stared at him, certain that the dawning realization on his face was mirrored on her own. A week. He’d missed her after only one week. It had been much longer for her.  
  
One week had been enough to make him seek her out, to come back down here when she knew how much he disliked Hell. That was… surprising. But she did believe him. She knew Lucifer well enough to read him, and his surprise and dismay were genuine. He really had forgotten that time moved differently in Hell. In fairness, so had she. He hadn’t meant to leave her alone for so long. That thought soothed something deep inside her, and made her believe his claim to be here with no ulterior motive.  
  
“How long has it been for you, Mazikeen?”  
  
His soft question pulled her out of her thoughts. Maze shrugged.  
  
“About three years, I think.” Three years, two months, and nineteen days, to be exact, but she didn’t want him to know that she’d kept count. It would give him the wrong idea.  
  
“Oh. I didn’t realize…”  
  
She nodded briefly, fighting down the sense of deja vu. Lucifer gazed at her for several long seconds, then sighed and hesitantly moved closer. When she raised an eyebrow, he pointed at the empty armchair. “May I sit down?”  
  
Maze nodded. He took the seat and then leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.  
  
“How are you really, Maze?”  
  
She shrugged. “I’m fine.” A wry smirk curved up her lips, and she waved a hand at her surroundings. “As you can see, I’m doing quite well.”  
  
“Yes. Actually, I was wondering… I mean, not that I expected to find you in some hovel or something,” he added hastily, “but this…”  
  
Maze’s smirk widened. “Didn’t expect me to be able to get my old job back?”  
  
Lucifer hesitated for a moment, then decided to admit the truth. “Frankly, no.”  
  
“I didn’t.” She almost laughed out loud at his surprised look. “Not exactly. Those two idiots your father put in charge down here don’t know the first thing about ruling a place like Hell, and its denizens. They’d barely been managing to keep a lid on it all when I came back.” Her grin began to look like it should rightfully be on something big with orange stripes that lurked in a jungle. “I managed to convince them that they’d be better off leaving the day to day running of the place to someone who understood demons and knew how Hell worked, but who didn’t have any particular ambitions when it came to killing angels and declaring herself Queen of Hell.”  
  
“And they believed you?”  
  
Maze scowled at the astonished disbelief in Lucifer’s voice.  
  
“Why shouldn’t they? It’s the truth. And they know that I was your right hand demon for millennia.”  
  
He made a few placating gestures. “Of course you were, and you always did excellent work.”  
  
Maze’s only acknowledgement of this praise was a fractional lessening of her scowl. Lucifer smiled sheepishly, and then got back to the topic at hand. “So they gave you your old job back.”  
  
“Not exactly.” She smirked when he raised a questioning eyebrow. “Less sex with the boss, more responsibility.”  
  
“Please tell me that when you say ‘less sex with the boss’, you mean no sex at all with the boss.”  
  
“Please. As if I would ever be desperate enough to fuck one of those stuffy, self-righteous little pricks.” Maze scoffed.  
  
“Well…” Lucifer gave her a meaningful glance, making her scowl.  
  
“That was entirely different.” Her ill-judged affair with Amenadiel had definitely been a mistake. One she was determined never to repeat. Not that there was any danger of that with the two angels who nominally ruled Hell now. “Besides, your siblings are far too stuck-up to consort with demons. Especially such notorious ones like me.”  
  
“Oh? Notorious, are you?”  
  
He sounded amused, bordering on mocking. Maze smirked. “Of course I am. With my demonic wiles I caused the firstborn and strongest of all the angels to fall. I’m the demon who seduced the Lightbringer into making me his second in command, tricked him into leaving his kingdom for the forsaken Earthly plane, and then dumped his ass up there after getting him to abdicate his throne in my favor. And after returning here, I somehow persuaded his rightful successors to let me rule Hell in their name.”  
  
“What?!”  
  
The shocked look on his face was priceless. Maze laughed out loud.  
  
“That’s preposterous! I seduced you! And leaving Hell for good was my idea. You were always against it!”  
  
He stared at her, and Maze saw the exact moment when the first tiny flicker of doubt came into his mind. She gave him a reassuring smile.  
  
“Of course. This is just what the infernal gossip mill is saying. You know how they love to distort the truth.” Her tone was perfectly earnest, sincere and reasonable. And it did absolutely nothing to dispel Lucifer’s doubts. The opposite, really, just as Maze had known it would. She carefully kept the smirk off her face. Toying with him was so much fun, the best entertainment she had had in months. How could a demon resist such an opportunity?  
  
“So how did you persuade my dear siblings to let you rule Hell in their name?”  
  
Maze shrugged. “Easy. I found out about a plot to overthrow them, and warned them about it.”  
  
“And they listened to you?”  
  
Lucifer’s incredulity earned him a snort of agreement.  
  
“Of course not.”  
  
A wicked grin spread across her face, and she was pleased to see him smile in response, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. “So? Come on, Maze, spill. I know you did something wickedly clever.”  
  
“I just sat back and waited for the inevitable. Those two idiots were so confident that no demon would dare raise a hand against them. Came as a really nasty shock when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by Duke Vassenego’s assassins.” Her grin widened. “I waited until those thugs had gotten a few jabs in, severely ruffled a few feathers. Just enough to get it through your siblings’ thick heads that they were about to end their existence in ignominy. And then I stepped in and saved their sorry asses.”  
  
“And they were properly grateful, no doubt.”  
  
“They were condescending, patronizing assholes. Remiel told me to get out of their palace.”  
  
Lucifer scowled, though Maze wondered why he should have expected anything else from his brothers. “What did you do then?”  
  
“I told them I had no intention of hanging around, because I was sure that now that his own assassins had failed, Duke Vassenego would be much more inclined to agree to my terms and listen to my advice.”  
  
“That gave them pause, didn’t it?” Lucifer was grinning broadly.  
  
Maze laughed. “Oh yeah. Remiel tried to bluff it out, but he’s a bad liar. Duma just looked embarrassed, but naturally he didn’t say anything.”  
  
“Naturally. But he does have a way of saying what he wants with looks and gestures, doesn’t he.”  
  
“Yes. And he’s clearly the brains of that team. Makes me wonder what he did to get saddled with this job.”  
  
“Didn’t protest loudly enough, I expect.”  
  
That little quip earned Lucifer a pealing laugh from his demon.  
  
“Anyway, I called Remiel’s bluff, reminded him that I had lived and worked in this palace for millennia and knew all its secrets. In the end, he accepted that it was in their best interests to get me on their side, rather than make an enemy of me.” She smirked. “Not that I am on their side, strictly speaking. The only side I care about is my own. But we have an agreement.”  
  
He gave her an inquiring look. “And what exactly does this agreement entail?”  
  
Maze shrugged. “They leave the day-to-day running of Hell to me. I keep them informed of the general goings-on. I acknowledge them as official rulers of Hell and do not make any attempt to overthrow them. If I need angelic backup for anything, they provide it. They do not try to replace me with anybody else. I make sure that any plots to overthrow them by any other infernal forces are dealt with before they can become a problem. So far it’s worked quite well.” A sly smile spread across her face. “They drew up a formal contract and we all signed it, you know. I suppose they thought that this way, everybody would know that I was their employee.”  
  
Lucifer shook his head at his brothers’ stupidity. Among demons, contracts were considered the same as treaties, and treaties were only signed between equals. Servants swore oaths of loyalty to their masters. By signing a contract with Maze, they had acknowledged her as their equal. They might as well have crowned her Queen of Hell.  
  
Maze’s smile widened at his reaction. “They gave me an official title, too. ‘Something that suitably reflects the responsibilities of my position’, to quote your brother.”  
  
“Oh dear.” He shuddered to think what Remiel would have chosen. “How bad is it?”  
  
“Not too bad. I vetoed the worst ones. I am officially the Grand Chamberlain of Hell.”  
  
Lucifer considered it for a moment. “That really is not too bad. What were the options you vetoed?”  
  
“Head Servant. Major Domo. Chief Steward. Paladin.” She grinned when Lucifer choked and sputtered. “It’s too bad your brothers vetoed my suggestions.”  
  
He gave her a wary look. “Do I want to know?”  
  
Maze’s grin widened. “Well, when your brother suggested Major Domo, I did point out to him that in my case it should be Domina. Shame he didn’t go for that one.” She laughed when Lucifer scoffed incredulously. “But mostly, I was hoping I’d be named Grand Vizier.”  
  
“Of course you were.” He shook his head and smiled. “The evil power behind the throne. Plotting and scheming against the king, smiling sinisterly while rubbing their hands. Though I do believe you’re lacking the moustache that is customary for twirling villainously.”  
  
“I’m sure I could have made do with twirling a strand of hair.”  
  
Maze laughed and Lucifer joined in, amused at the idea of her playing the comic book villain. As if she wasn’t a million times more dangerous just being herself.  
  
He eyed her speculatively when they both calmed down again. “You really are happy here, aren’t you.”  
  
His demon arched an eyebrow. “Were you hoping I wouldn’t be?”  
  
“No!” Lucifer smiled ruefully when his automatic denial earned him a highly skeptical look. “ Not really. I don’t want you to be unhappy. I just…”  
  
He sighed, unwilling to admit the unflattering truth. But Maze knew him well enough to get it anyway.  
  
“You wanted me to pine for you. Like some silly romantic heroine. Or some old-fashioned fairytale princess, pining for the noble knight who will rescue her.” Her voice was full of contempt and disgust, the mere idea that anyone could possibly think she would ever act that way a mortal offense to her demonic sensibilities.  
  
Lucifer hastened to correct the assumption. “No, I didn’t want that! I’d never want you to act that way.” He sighed again. “But I was hoping that you would miss me, just a little bit.”  
  
She could see how much the admission cost him, and that he was well aware that it was a selfish, unworthy desire. He was shooting quick, anxious glances at her, obviously expecting her to be angry. It would have been almost amusing, if it hadn’t also been so bloody predictable. She rolled her eyes.  
  
“You didn’t exactly give me reasons to miss you with the way you acted before I left LA.”  
  
He hung his head. “I know. And I’m sorry.”  
  
Maze took a moment to study him. Lucifer was sitting there in silence, dejected, staring at the floor unseeingly. He seemed lost in unpleasant memories. Memories he clearly regretted. Maybe… maybe she could give in just a tiny bit.  
  
“I do think of you sometimes. Usually when I’m forced to deal with your brother Remiel for any length of time.” A hint of a smirk curved the corners of her mouth. “Arguing with you was always so much more fun.”  
  
Lucifer had looked up hopefully when she admitted thinking of him, but at the mention of his brother and arguments his expression fell again. “That’s all you remember me for? Arguments?”  
  
How typical of him to take her words in the worst way possible. Maze rolled her eyes. “Don’t you remember the way we used to argue down here?”  
  
She saw the exact moment he got it. A playful leer lit up his face. “Oh yeah. Those were fun. Just like the making up afterwards.”  
  
They smiled at each other, sharing memories of arguments over small, inconsequential things. Of provoking each other, deliberately pushing the other’s buttons and driving each other wild until it all devolved into angry sex. Wonderful, rough, passionate, angry sex. Followed after a short recovery by soft, tender caresses, wordless apologies expressed in the language they spoke best. Yes, the making up had always been just as memorable as the arguments.  
  
Their gazes locked. Lucifer leaned forward slowly, desire burning in his eyes. At the last moment, Maze turned her head away, causing his lips to brush her demonic cheek instead of finding their intended target.  
  
She couldn’t allow herself to fall for his charms again. This was just a visit. He wasn’t staying.  
  
Lucifer sat back again, and an awkward silence spread between them. Maze knew that her rejection stung him, injured his pride. A part of her regretted it. But it was the way things had to be. They had both made their choices, and now they had to live with the consequences.  
  
After a few moments, he brushed his hands across his knees and then stood up. “I think it’s time for me to go.” Having said that he stood there awkwardly, hesitating.  
  
Maze schooled her face into a carefully neutral mask and looked up at him. Lucifer shifted uneasily under her cool gaze, then straightened.  
  
“I’m glad you’re happy here, and doing well.” A sad smile appeared on his face. For a moment it seemed as if he was about to say more, but then he clearly decided against it.  
  
Maze held his gaze for a second, then nodded. “Thank you, Lucifer.”  
  
The dismissal was clear, but still he hesitated. “Maybe… that is, I’d like…” He broke off again, took a deep breath, let it out, and started once more. “Perhaps I could visit again sometime?”  
  
“Perhaps?” Maze arched an eyebrow.  
  
This time it was Lucifer’s turn to roll his eyes. “I would like to visit you again, Mazikeen. If you permit it.”  
  
She considered the suggestion, long enough to see his shoulders droop as he prepared himself for her rejection.  
  
“Yes.” Maze nodded decisively as he gave her a hopeful smile. “You may visit me again.” Her expression softened. “I’d like that.”  
  
Lucifer’s smile lit up his whole face. He took a step forward, grasped her hand gently, and brought it to his lips as he bowed to her. “Au revoir then, my dear Mazikeen.”  
  
“Au revoir, Lucifer.”  
  
Still bowing, he took a few steps backwards, then straightened up and disappeared with the usual whoosh of angelic wings.  
  
Maze waited until she was certain he was really gone, then reached for a small bell and rang it.  
  
Moments later the door opened and Lucifer’s former man servant Pruflas - now Mazikeen’s personal servant - came in. Maze suppressed a smirk as he cast a quick glance around the room, looking for someone who wasn’t there anymore.  
  
“Mylady?”  
  
“Get me a whisky. A large one.”  
  
The feline demon stepped over to the cupboard which housed Maze’s private bar. She watched as he took out one of the beautiful cut glass tumblers and filled it almost to the brim with one of her favorite single malts. Just as he was about to pick it up and bring it to her, Maze spoke again.  
  
“And Pruflas.” She didn’t wait for him to turn to her. The knife sliced through the air in a perfect trajectory, shaving off the tips of the feline demon’s right whiskers before its tip buried itself inch-deep in the wall beside his head. “The next time Lucifer shows up here, you will inform me immediately instead of telling him where I am and letting him waltz in here unannounced.”  
  
To his credit, Pruflas had made no sound as the knife narrowly missed his head. But Maze noted with satisfaction that he was trembling and clutching the edge of the drinks cupboard hard. His claws were almost certainly leaving grooves in the wood.  
  
He swallowed hard. “Yes, Lady Mazikeen.”  
  
A pointed look and a twitch of an eyebrow were enough to make him pick up the whisky glass and carry it very carefully over to her. She took it from him with a smirk and raised it to her lips. The whisky burned nicely as it went down, its scent and taste bringing memories of other times.  
Maze leaned back in her armchair with a deep sigh. Pruflas hovered nervously beside her. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed him, chuckling silently as the demon cat practically ran from the room. Oh, well. Probably couldn’t wait to spread the prime gossip he had picked up listening at her door. And of course she had added a juicy little bit to that by practically telling him that Lucifer was possibly going to show up here again.  
  
Somewhat to her own surprise, Maze found herself believing that he would, too. It would be a while, months, maybe years, but Lucifer was going to visit her again. He wouldn’t have asked for her permission if he had no intention of returning, and his au revoir had been as good as a promise. He would be back one day.  
  
She tried not to get her hopes up. Lucifer would never choose to return to Hell permanently. He had hated the place for as long as he had been here. But the fact that he was willing to come here just to see her…  
  
_Stop it_ , she chided herself. _Don’t fall for it again. So he missed you. That doesn’t mean anything. Remember how he treated you while you were with him._  
  
And she did remember. But still. Despite the awkwardness, seeing him again had been… nice. Fun. A smile curved her lips as she took another sip of whisky. Despite all her misgivings about renewing a relationship with him, she was looking forward to his next visit. Whenever it might be.


End file.
